From pharmacy studies to helping tech teams to succeed

Opemipo Fajana-Kehinde did not begin university expecting to build a career in technology leadership. She first studied pharmacy, then returned to what she describes as her first love: computer science. That change of direction opened a career that has taken her from Nigeria to Sweden and Finland. Her path has been shaped by a curiosity about how technology can improve people's lives and a willingness to embrace new challenges.

Today, Opemipo combines the responsibilities of Senior Project Lead, Scrum Master and End-to-End Execution Lead in Nordea’s Group Technology. Her work includes compliance projects and coordinating delivery across teams. She relies on technical understanding, business judgement and the ability to bring people together around a shared goal.

A career shaped across countries and roles

Before entering the corporate world, Opemipo volunteered to teach young Nigerian girls coding, robotics and computer skills. She also helped women entrepreneurs build websites and apply for grants. She was motivated by a desire to create an impact through technology.

As her career evolved across software development, fintech and quantum computing, one lesson remained constant: Technology alone does not create value, it's the people behind it who drive successful outcomes by understanding the business problem, managing risk, and keeping customer needs at the centre of every decision.

Working in different environments also taught Opemipo how important it is to listen before proposing a solution. People bring different perspectives based on their own understanding and culture to a project, she says, and understanding those perspectives helps teams make better decisions and deliver better results.

Why Nordea became the next step

After building experience across several industries and technology roles, a LinkedIn opportunity brought Opemipo to Nordea. She quickly felt at home with her new colleagues and described her onboarding experience as supportive. She also found an environment where she could contribute her experience while taking on demanding technology projects.

Opemipo was initially surprised to meet colleagues who had worked at Nordea for 20, 30 or even 40 years. As she settled in, she realised that a long career at Nordea could be shaped by varied work, continuous learning, and the opportunity to take on new challenges.

Through her work at Nordea, Opemipo gained a deeper appreciation for the scale and complexity of technology delivery in banking. Regulatory requirements, evolving priorities, and customer expectations all need to be balanced. Helping teams navigate those demands while delivering value is a challenge she enjoys.

Making complex work manageable

Much of her work begins where stakeholders perspectives do not yet align. She works with stakeholders to clarify requirements, build trust, agree on goals and set realistic timelines. Creating an environment where people feel comfortable raising concerns and sharing different perspectives helps teams navigate change more effectively.

“My job is to make the difficult feel manageable,” Opemipo says. She breaks large problems into steps a team can act on while keeping the business reason for the work visible.

One achievement Opemipo is especially proud of is building teams in her service domain: bringing people together, establishing a structure, way of working, and helping them work effectively. She also values the team’s ability to respond quickly to incidents, so corporate customers can continue using Nordea’s apps with as little disruption as possible.

Curiosity as a career driver

Opemipo has made active use of Agile SAFe training, leadership programmes and Udemy courses, and has become an AI Scrum Master. She seeks out learning opportunities that help her meet the changing demands of her work. Nordea provides learning resources, while Opemipo takes responsibility for making the most of them.

Her development extends beyond formal training. As a Nordea Ambassador in Finland, she meets university students and contributes to conversations about diversity. Sharing her journey into technology also allows her to support others while developing her public speaking skills.

For someone considering a technology career at Nordea, Opemipo’s advice is to arrive ready to adapt and take ownership of your own development. In her experience, the value a colleague brings is shaped more by their skills, motivation and initiative than by their background. Learning resources can help, but employees have to seek out opportunities and apply what they learn.

“Most importantly, let your curiosity and enthusiasm lead the way,” Opemipo says.